After I stumbled across this AdAge article on a brilliant creative director’s “side job,” I started reflecting on my own hobbies and passions. If this Nathan Phillips ad exec guy could make money writing break-up letters, wedding toasts and TED talks, what could I make money doing?
I guess a better question for myself would be this:“what do I want to make a living doing?”

Well to put it simply, what I’m doing now (but with a sprinkle of pro-bono work on the side). I feel eternally grateful to have been given the opportunity to help such a clever, talented agency tell each of their fantastic clients’ stories. However, I have found I continually ponder what humanity is to do about the big issues that don’t have a cool little “face” or “brand” for themselves; and I’m marveled by the apathetic nature of American society. These astronomically influential ideas that are so relentlessly fought over, year after year, have little to no progress made on resolving them. Instead, most of the uninformed public lets the powers that govern make the paramount decisions for them. Decisions that will change the fate of our children’s (and even our own) future.

I will forever love and respect Brokaw for rising above the blah blah. How could I not? After all, it’s the world’s best ad agency. Google said so. But it’s my goal to build a life where I can leave work each evening, go home, and take that same fervor I have for storytelling and translate it over to a little side gig that helps enlighten the world with stories of civilization’s struggles for unearthing universal truths (equality, peace, etc.). Now whether that will be through a podcast, design for public good, activist work or something completely unimaginable at this point, the goal will always stay clear: help the world learn from its failures and have enough courage to keep moving forward.

A single thread of hope is still a very powerful thing.

“Your profession is not what brings home your weekly paycheck. Your profession is what you’re put here on Earth to do, with such passion and such intensity that it becomes spiritual in calling.” – Vincent Van Gogh